


Adventures in Babysitting

by Awesome_Sauce432



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Age Regression/De-Aging, Babysitting, Gen, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-03 03:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4084363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome_Sauce432/pseuds/Awesome_Sauce432
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Alright guys, what do- M'gann, please come down." </p>
<p>When I agreed to babysit 7 kids, I thought it would just be a bigger-than-usual job. I didn't realise it was the kids of the Justice League that I was taking care of, and it just escalated from there. This was the biggest job I'd ever had. The only reason I'd agreed in the first place was because it paid so well.</p>
<p>And I was loving it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I mean, how hard could it be?

It was the biggest job I'd had. Babysit 7 kids. I'd done babysitting before, but my highest number was 4 at a time. I needed a job to pay for college when I finish school, so I figured I could do some babysitting to earn some cash. When I answered the newspaper ad though, I didn't realise it was for the Justice League. 

They probably did a whole background check on me and everything before they even picked up the phone. I had to sign contracts. So, I was pretty sure this was serious. But they paid a lot, and I mean a lot, so I figured, I can handle this. I was determined to not burn the place down, so that I could come again and get more cash.

I wasn't quite expecting this. 

"Alright, here's a list on all of them. It's got their abilities, what they like to do and their favourite foods. There's more instructions in the kitchen for lunch and dinner, but you should read over this before we get there." Green Arrow was talking.

An actual Justice League member was talking to me. Oh, and there were two kids in the back of the fancy car we were driving in. Artemis and Roy. Five and seven, respectively. They didn't have any powers, which was nice, and Roy at least could usually be counted on to cooperate. Apparently. Reading through this sheet he'd given me, I was starting to wonder. Though, so far it seemed to be accurate. Roy was staring straight ahead glaring at the seat, and Artemis was reading a kiddy version of Alice in a Wonderland. 

"Ok, so, anything I should be prepared for?" I ask, looking up from reading about some of the kids. There was a Martian on there. A freaking Martian. With telekinesis. And density-shifting. She. can. go. through. walls.

"Well, Roy should listen to you, isn't that right Roy?" Roy glanced up at the sound of his name, grunting a little in response.

"See, he'll be fine. Artemis though is in a sort of hide and seek phase, she really loves that game." He said vaguely. I looked back at the blonde, who was smiling innocently. I narrowed my eyes. I'm onto you girl. 

"I don't know about the other kids, but I think the rest of the League wrote down notes." 

I scanned through the pages. There were notes alright. Aquaman had included an extremely detailed set of instructions on how to bathe Kaldur. As in, there was half a page on how to make sure the temperature was right. Martian Manhunter had also included a (hopefully) helpful list of tips I can use to handle a girl who can fly, read my mind and go through walls. 

Superman had written a note saying 'Do what you think is best.'. The Flash had scribbled random notes on his page, and the Batman had oh so helpfully written 'Don't lose sight of him.' 

At this point I was beginning to wonder if this was worth it. Then I thought of the money. It was a by hour rate, depending on how many kids I was taking care of. Apparently, these seven were the test subjects on whether I could do this, but there were more. 

"Alright, I'm just going to need to stop by the road here..." Green Arrow said. I looked around. We were on Main Street. It was all shops, no houses in sight.

"Um, is this the place?" I asked nervously. Green Arrow was busy pulling something out from the glove box.

"No. I just need to blindfold you." He said calmly. 

What.

About ten minutes later, Green Arrow said I could take the blindfold off. As far as I could tell, I was in a giant cave. It was huge. Green Arrow was busy putting down Artemis on the ground. He had one of those kiddy leash things attached to her, which he then unbuckled after making sure the door was closed. Roy was holding onto his leg, looking adorable. 

"So, this is the place?" I asked dumbly. Of course this was the place. There was the Flash right over there, with another kid!

Oh god it's the Flash. I frantically look through my notes. Ok, this is Wally. Let's see...

Age six, alright. Ok, Superspeed. Great. Although, apparently he was having trouble controlling his speed, so it was sort of easy to catch him. On the other hand, I was already picturing him being a red headed ball of destruction. 

"Ah! You must be Lexi right? The new babysitter?" The Flash said. Wally was napping peacefully on his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah. This is a cool place." I looked around, feeling myself blush. 

"Well, good luck! Wally's pretty tired. He and I went on a little training mission this morning, so he'll probably sleep for a bit longer." He said, ruffling the smaller boys hair gently. 

I look down at the ground. I can't believe I'm babysitting for the Justice League. But I have to be calm. I already had my freak out yesterday. Be professional. This is a big job. 

"Thanks, um, so what was the training mission?" I ask, trying to think of conversation.

"It wasn't really a mission, there weren't any bad guys. I call it that so he thinks it's super awesome. We went around the state, delivering some things. It wasn't really very interesting, but he loved it." He grinned widely, and I smiled back. 

"Alexandria Sullivan?" I heard a voice behind me. Oh heaven help me.

I turn around slowly. Yup. It's the goddamn Batman. Glaring at me, expecting an answer. I open my mouth dumbly, until I spy him holding a tiny little boy. It almost alleviates some of the sheer... Batman-ish vibes coming off the Dark Knight. 

"Yeah. You can call me Lexi." I finally say, feeling my face flush up again.

"Well Lexi, did you read through the files?" The little boy, who I think was called Dick, giggled. It sounded very strange coming from the same spot the Batman was standing in.

"Yes, I did. Um, may I ask what you mean when you said 'Don't lose sight of him?'" I ask, hoping the question makes me sound like I really care about this job. Which I do. 

"Don't lose sight of him." Well, he's literal. I decide not to try and clear it up, and instead turn my attention to Dick.

"Um, is that Dick?" 

"Yes." Boy, he is really not one for conversation. He doesn't move to put down Dick either. I smile awkwardly as we stand in stillness. I'm off to a great start with him. Just peachy. 

"Oh hey Ar-Aquaman!" Green Arrow walks over to Aquaman with Roy still holding on to his leg, who had just come in with who I assume to be Kaldur walking beside him. I wonder what the trip in the name was about, then I remember. 

Superheros. Secret identities. I'm a civilian. 

"Hello Green Arrow. Kaldur, say hello." Aquaman smiles warmly at the archer, who has left Artemis sitting on the ground, even though she does seem content to stay there. I keep an eye on her though. I don't want to play hide and seek right now.

"Hello Uncle Arrow" Kaldur smiles, before noticing me.

"Is that the new babysitter?" He asks, looking up at his mentor.

"I believe so. Hello there!" I walk away from a glaring Batman and giggling Dick, happy to see someone who isn't going to stare a hole into my soul.

"Hello, um, Aquaman, hello Kaldur." Kaldur walks up, and offers a hand for me to shake. Well, he doesn't seem to be the kind of kid who would cause much trouble. 

"Hello." Kaldur says simply, still smiling. I smile back. 

"Alright, we're just missing M'gann and Conner now?" Right as Green Arrow was talking, somebody phased into the giant cave. 

The Martian Manhunter. I'm not afraid to admit I love the guy. Not in a crush way, but I love his powers. I mean, he can read people's minds! And go through stuff! He could practically be invincible.

Which makes me concerned about his kid. 

"Hello everyone. Are you Lexi?" He looks around at everyone, settling on me. Holding onto his back is a green, red headed girl who must be M'gann, though apparently she also accepts Megan. 

"Yes, I am. Um, is that M'gann?" I ask. M'gann grins, before ducking behind Martian Munhunter's neck.

"Yes, I'm afraid she is a bit shy. Come on M'gann." The Martian picks up the girl, and places her on the ground. She runs back around to hide behind his cape.

"Hello." I say, not getting any response except for a giggle, which is promptly copied by Dick, who Batman is still holding on to.

"Sorry I'm late. Here's Superboy. Bye everyone, see you at Headquarters." Another voice says. By the time I turn around, a seven year old kid has appeared. Must be Conner, Superman's... Son? I can see some of the other Leaguers frowning. 

"Hello Conner, come along." Aquaman says, sighing resignedly. 

"Um, did Superman just come in?" I ask, feeling my cheeks flush again for about the fiftieth time.

"Yes. He is not extremely... Paternal" Martian Manhunter says, eyeing Conner.

"Oh. Um, well, I-" 

"Don't worry about it. We must go now. The instructions are in the kitchen. Kaldur, make sure you behave." Aquaman says, leading Conner and Kaldur over to me. Conner looks up at me, not extremely disappointed at essentially having been dumped here by his caretaker. I'm not sure if I should be sad or not. But I push it away. What the Leaguers do isn't my business. 

Green Arrow slowly seperated Roy from his leg, and runs for the hills the moment the seven year old is free from him. Aquaman and Martian Manhunter take some time to actually talk to their charges, and the Flash gently lies the still-sleeping Wally on the couch. Batman leaves last, finally handing me Dick, with an unprecedented amount of care. 

"Remember, don't lose sight of him like you did with Artemis." He says, before turning and leaving. 

"I won't!" I say, before the words sink in. My smile quickly plummets. 

I look around. 

"Artemis?" Kaldur calls out, realising it too. Dick, M'gann and Roy all giggle. Wally rolls over, letting out a small snore. Conner looks up at me, confused.

Guess I will be playing hide and seek after all. 

 

\-------

 

Artemis?!" I called out. I was wandering through this giant cave, which Kaldur had told me was aptly named The Cave. Apparently, Artemis was much better at hide and seek than most five year olds. I was carrying Dick, taking Batman's warning to heart. Right now he wasn't doing much than giggling all the time. It was starting to get on my nerves. M'gann was walking with us, and Kaldur, Conner and Roy were both playing the main area while Wally slept. 

"This isn't going to work. M'gann, do you know where she might be hiding?" I looked down at the Martian, who shook her head and resumed sipping on her juice box.

"Don't you have telepathy?" M'gann nodded, and smiled.

"Can you use it to find her?" Another nod. I look at her blankly, and she looks at me.

"Well... Can you do that please?" I ask. M'gann stares up at me for a moment, before her eyes begin to glow a bright green. When they turn back to normal, she grins widely, and jumps up and down, holding onto my arm.

"She's this way!" She said, before flying off down the hall. I began to run to keep up with her. Dick giggled loudly in my arms. 

"M'gann, slow down!" I call out, trying not to lose her.

"Shh!" M'gann popped out of a door (literally), making a 'come here' gesture with her hand. 

I got over the shock of seeing her go through the door again, and opened it. With the light already on, I see its a supply closet, filled with various odds and ends. There was a whole box labeled 'earplugs' that was tipped over, little red buds strewn across the floor. In the middle of the mess was Artemis, who was sitting contently reading, with earplugs in her ears. Oh thank the lord.

"Artemis?" I say calmly. The blonde looks up, and her look of slight surprise is exchanged for the meanest scowl I've ever seen on a five year old. Dick giggles, because he finds everything hilarious apparently. 

"Found her! Can I get a cookie?" M'gann says, holding her palm out expectantly.

"You can get a cookie later. Let's go back to the others." I shift Dick over to one arm, and try to pick up Artemis with the other. She mostly doesn't resist, except for scowling some more. 

 

\-------

 

After recovering Artemis, there about an hour of relative peace. Conner, Roy and Kaldur were content to play board games together. Dick clung to my shirt, like a koala. It was pretty cute, since he was so tiny. I kept Artemis next to me, entertaining her with a movie on the television. M'gann got her cookie and was extremely excited about earth movies. Wally was still asleep. 

I was feeling pretty proud of myself, as one tends to do when things are going well. The kids are calm, there hadn't been any meltdowns beyond Conner accidentally destroying Snakes and Ladders when he lost. He was quickly pacified by another copy they had stashed away. I was thankful the League were prepared, though I wondered if that happened often. 

So I let my guard down a bit. I was still keeping an eye on Artemis, and Dick was still firmly attached to me. These two were the youngest of the group at five, though Artemis acted older and Dick acted younger. I hadn't even heard any sounds other than giggling from Dick, and Artemis looked as if she were too good to make any sounds at all. 

The others were all behaving, and I had decided, when the movie was over, I would make them lunch. Then I thought, why not make them lunch before hand, so right when the movie is over I can bring it out so no one gets bored. If Wally doesn't wake up, then I can just save his until he's up. Not having to worry about watching one more kid was nice. 

So I picked up Artemis, and took her and Dick into the kitchen. I didn't hear any immediate signs of mayhem as I left, so I decided I had made a good decision. 

I looked over the files and instructions quickly. Lunch was pretty basic, just make some sandwiches with their favourite fillings, and serve them up. I then surveyed the problem of making sandwiches with a five year old attached to my shirt. 

My first attempt at remedying this involved getting him off my shirt. It didn't work, and Artemis smirked at my struggles. I then decided to take more drastic measures. Walking out to the couch again, making sure to pick up Artemis along the way, I rummaged through my bag until I found my jumper. I then went back into the kitchen. 

The plan was to slide the jumper across so that hopefully he would transfer to the back, and then I could put the jumper on properly and he would be on my back instead of the front. Like transferring a bug from leaf to leaf. 

Five minutes later, I had Dick on my back. The jumper was back to front, but I was comfortable enough. Artemis at least had stuck around during the whole thing, presumably because she found me entertaining. Or maybe it was because she wanted sandwiches. I wasn't sure. 

Lunch was a quick affair. Wally woke up the moment I brought the sandwiches out of the kitchen, and I very nearly dropped them from the shock of him appearing at my feet. The other boys had abandoned board games sometime while I was busy, and had joined M'gann in movie watching. It was a happy and peaceful silence while they ate. Mostly.

"So mare mou the mew bwabyspitter lady?" Wally asked, his mouth half full of sandwich. 

"Yeah, my names Lexi." I said, suddenly realising I hadn't made myself sandwiches. 

"So, how long you been here?" He asked, finishing off his sandwiches and now fully involved in talking to me.

"Well, its been about an hour and twenty minutes." I said, watching the others eat. They were all silently watching this conversation. Even Dick, who had momentarily detached himself from my person to sit on the table. 

Has that kid ever even touched the floor in his life?

"Mmm, ok. You staying til nighttime?" Wally studied me, narrowing his eyes in curiosity.

"Yeah, I think it's til ten pm." I was wondering why he wanted to know, but figured there was no harm in telling him.

"So, anything happen while I was asleep?" Wally didn't even hide that he was looking over at Artemis, who looked up from her sandwich to stare into Wally's soul. 

"Not much. Did you sleep well?" 

"Yeah, it was ok. What are we gonna do after this?" Wally looked around, as if expecting an arcade and painting over in the corner of the Cave. 

"Well, we could watch another movie if you like." I looked over my mental list of possible activities.

"Nah, I have a better idea." Wally grinned mischievously. The others tried to hide their smiles, or stifle a laugh. M'gann failed. I narrowed my eyes. This didn't seem like a good idea. 

 

\-------

 

"So, how do you think she's going?" Green Arrow looked around at the members of the Justice League before him. Batman had gone back to Gothan, and Superman had quickly found a mission to go on, but the rest of them were all at the Watchtower, enjoying their day off.

This was the first babysitter they'd chosen just from leaving an ad in the newspaper. Before, they'd tried getting various League members, or minor heroes to do it. But League members' schedules were fluctuating at best, and minor heros often had their own cities to deal with. So they'd decided to find a civilian willing. Naturally, when Lexi had called, they'd checked her family, her family's family, and the family and friends of anyone she came into regular contact with. When that had all come up clear, and they'd run a few dozen more tests, they decided to see how she went. 

"Well, it hasn't been that long. We did leave the emergency number, right?" Aquaman stroked his chin, trying to remember what exactly he'd left on those files. He was a bit worried about the bath water temperature, but hopes his instructions had been detailed enough. 

"I'm sure we did. We can always call her." Martian Manhunter supplied helpfully from the lounge. He was watching some old rom-com that he admitted was a guilty pleasure. 

Green Arrow looked around, thinking of what could go wrong. For starters, the girl had no powers, nor training in anything beyond being on a school hockey team, and some babysitting experience. He knew some of the kids were a bit of a handful, but hopefully the girls prior experience with children would help her. 

"How about we call her in a few hours." He finally said, nodding. The others all murmured agreements. 

They never rang. Green Arrow took a nap and the others all thought he had agreed to do it anyway.

 

\-------

 

I'll admit, I was enjoying this. Wally's suggestion had been to make blanket forts. By that point, the others were sold and to be honest I was liking it. I loved making blanket forts as a kid, and I figured this wouldn't burn down the Cave in any way. So I agreed. 

Then, Wally had stated that it would be a team game. As in, split into two groups and then wage war on each other. Then we split. Wally immediately lay claim on Conner, Kaldur and Roy, leaving me with M'gann, Artemis and Dick. His reasoning had been that since I was bigger, I had an advantage. My counter reasoning was that his team out-aged fifty percent of my team anyway. Then he said I had M'gann. 

Unwilling to argue, I figured there wasn't much I could do. So we all went in a search to find as many blankets and pillows as we could find, and split the huge living room in two. 

My team, which was hastily named as team Girls and Koala began making a plan, while the boys just began building as high as they could. 

"Okay, if we want a good fort, we're going to need support." I was saying, looking around at what I had to work with. There was a huge amount of blankets in the Cave, possibly for these reasons.

"I can stick things in the wall!" M'gann said, happy to be useful. 

"Good. Here, take this blue blanket, and stick it up around about here so we can have cover." M'gann nodded, and grabbed one corner of the biggest blanket we had, flying up about ten metres to secure it to the wall. 

I looked at Artemis, who had her face set in grim determination. Hide and seek could wait. I liked it. 

"Alright Artemis, wanna help me move the couches?" 

The two teams worked for about thirty minutes. I was pretty proud of my team when we were done. We had claimed the couches and moved them into a U-shape to form a defensive perimeter. The huge blue blanket that M'gann had secured acted as a first line of cover, catching things thrown high, so that M'gann could fly up and bring them down to us. 

We'd turned the inside into a base of operations. There was pillow wall separating it from our attack space, and it was insulated by blankets and chairs we used as support beams. Another blanket was stretched over the top as a second line of cover, and we had stockpiles of pillows as weapons. I had laid down the laws of battle.

After forty five minutes, battle would begin. Powers were allowed, but only for collecting ammo and fixing up their bases. So M'gann could fly through the field and collect pillows, but she couldn't use telekinesis to throw them. If she wanted to throw them, she had to be on the ground, and throw them using her hands. Likewise, Wally couldn't use his Superspeed to peg them at us, or run in to destroy our fort. 

Conner's super strength was a bit more difficult, because he couldn't quite control how much he used, but I agreed to allow it on grounds that he had to stay in his fort, so someone wouldn't get a pillow pegged at them from close range. 

I figured this kept things relatively fair, and no one complained too much, so with fifteen minutes left to go in planning phase, we thought up positions and plans of attack.

"Alright, we want to destroy their fort. Artemis, you and Dick can sneak in and destroy from the inside, while M'gann and I keep them distracted. But before we try that, we need to figure out what they're capable of. So at first, Artemis will be on the front line with me and Dick. M'gann, you'll be on pillow collecting duty." 

I suddenly had a beautiful idea. The files. It was practically a cheat book filled with their strengths and weaknesses. And I liked to consider myself pragmatic. I was fair, but in combat, I take any advantages I can get (While sticking to the rules). 

"Alright guys, let's do a once over for any structural defects. Our base needs to be strong, and secure. I'll be right back." 

 

I sat in the ruins of the fort forlornly. My team gathered around me, looking a mixture of sad, concerned, and angry. Dick, M'gann and Artemis, in that order. I clutched the shoulder where I had been struck. The offending weapon had been cast aside.

"I'm not sure if I will make it." I said, sounding as dramatic as I could.

"Was the battle won?" I ask, listening for the telltale sound of pillow fire.

"Yeah, we won! We totally took them down." M'gann was saying. I smiled warmly.

"Then we are victorious." I said, my voice drifting off. Dick's face changed from sad to quizzical. Gee, was I putting too much effort into it?

"Yeah, but now what?" M'gann said, totally buying it. Artemis seemed a bit more annoyed, but she still looked like she did during the battle. She wasn't done yet.

"Now. We must make sure this event cannot restart. Never again shall this travesty occur... Until next week..." I said, making sure to include that last part. 

"But how?" M'gann put her palms on her face, looking shocked. The other two rolled their eyes in synch.

"You must..." M'gann leaned in. "You must..." I could barely stifle a laugh at this point.

"What is it?!" M'gann voice took on a hint of urgency.

"You must... Clean up..." I make a fake dying sound, and closed my eyes. My tongue dangled out, and there was silence for a moment. Which was followed by a groan, a huff, and a small kick in the ribs. 

 

\-------

 

"I don't like ravioli." Roy said in a huff. 

"But Green Arrow said you'd eat it?!" I said, exasperated. I'd been given a few choices for dinner. I loved beef ravioli, and since it didn't say none of the kids hated it or were allergic, I'd been confident it would go down like lunch. It didn't. 

Conner and M'gann were happy, and were eating while they watched the battle of wills go down. Dick was focused fully on his food, and Wally had already finished. Artemis and Kaldur hadn't yet received their dinner, and were waiting with varying degrees of patience. 

"Well I don't want it!" Roy was saying, scrunching his nose up. Artemis, deciding she'd had enough, promptly clambered into the table and snatched Roy's intended bowl from my hands. I didn't argue, as I was too focused on Roy. 

"Look, I can't make an exception just because you don't want it. This is what's for dinner, and you can either eat this or not get any dessert." I say. I would have said he wouldn't get anything at all, but I knew I wouldn't stick to that. No dessert, I could handle. 

"But I don't want ravioli!" Roy repeated, only angered at the prospect of no dessert.

"What's for dessert?" Wally asked, perking up.

I frowned. I was not going to be beaten by a seven year old. I thought back through what I'd read about Roy. I thought about what I could do. I'd already threatened no dessert, but that didn't seem to do anything. 

"If you don't eat your ravioli, I'm going to call Green Arrow and tell him." I said. Roy looked at me like I was a monster. 

He seemed to think highly of Green Arrow, based on my earlier experience of him never letting go of his mentor/father figure's leg. He certainly cared about him more than Artemis, who was smirking. A five year old. Smirking. 

"So are you gonna eat your ravioli?" I pull out another bowl, and begin to put ravioli in it. Roy continues looking at me like I'm evil incarnate as I pour sauce in top and set it down in front of him. 

"Fine." Hah. Me, one. Roy, zero. 

 

I slump onto the couch, exhausted. Piles of folded blankets scatter the Cave, and I still haven't moved the couches from their U-shape. Bath time had been a messy affair. I'd done it before, so I wasn't really grossed out. It took me twenty minutes to clean up all the bubbles, and I hadn't even moved the towels from the ground to soak up water. 

Getting them in bed was also an interesting deal. There were a few rooms that were used specifically for that purpose. Dick, Conner and Kaldur were easy. They weren't very fussy and didn't even ask for anything. Wally had fought for an extra ten minutes of staying up, but had been pacified by a bedtime story, which M'gann had joined in for. The Martian herself had been pleasant after that, although couldn't decide if she wanted a glass of water, or a glass of juice. I gave her both. Roy and Artemis had no specific bedtime, and trying to put Artemis down at the same time as Dick had been a disaster.

Let's just say everyone had been betting on who would win. M'gann was the only one who bet on me. I think she's technically in debt now, if cookies could be considered a form of currency. 

So I let those two stick with me until they got tired on their own. They're both sitting on the floor watching television. 

I thought about what had happened that day. None of the kids had been seriously injured, and I'm pretty sure most of them liked me. There was only minimal mess and no fires. Almost all the kids were in bed, and those that were awake weren't wreaking havoc. 

I'd call it a success. The money too, that was good. Even if they had been terrible, I probably wouldn't have minded, just because it was the best paying job I could find. But as it was, I enjoyed it. I think I might try it again next week, if they're still doing it. 

That would be nice.

 

\-------

 

When the Leaguers arrived to pick up the kids, they weren't quite sure of what they were expecting. They had braced themselves for a complete disaster, and hoped that it would be beautiful. What they found was definitely promising. 

The Cave was clean, albeit with piles of folded blankets shoved up against one wall, and mountains of pillows next to it. The couches had been moved, but they didn't mind it too much. They also weren't too surprised when they saw Artemis and Roy sitting on the ground watching TV. Green Arrow had told them horror stories of him trying to get them into bed. 

"Ollie!" Roy called out when he realised his mentor was here. Artemis turned her head, smiling a little, before yawning. 

Green Arrow walked up to the two. Picking up Artemis, who settled into his arms, he looked around for Lexi. 

He saw her on the couches, with her bag next to her. She was asleep, with one arm across her eyes, blocking out light. She looked frazzled, but wasn't sporting any bandages, so Green Arrow considered that a plus. 

Other Leaguers went to pick up their own kids, while Green Arrow went into the kitchen. Inside, next to the list of instructions, was a note from Lexi. The handwriting was a bit messy, in print letters and slanted upwards, but it was legible.

To Justice League,

The kids were great. I'm not sure if Dick usually sticks to your shirts like a koala, but he did. Artemis never even said a word to me, and Roy was fussy at dinner, but other than that they were ok. Kaldur, Conner and M'gann were super well-behaved, and Wally was good too. We made pillow forts and watched movies.

Also, I'd like to do this again, it was fun.

-Lexi


	2. Taking care of SuperKids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had begun to settle in. I knew the kids, they were beginning to relax around me, and there had only been a few incidents. Even two more kids couldn't hurt. 
> 
> Well, okay, it could hurt a bit...

"Hi Lexi!" M'gann flies down happily from her uncles back, hugging me. Smiling, I unwrap her from my neck and gently guide her down to the ground.

This was my ninth time babysitting these guys, and I was really getting into it. I'd start off with whatever activity I could come up with before lunch, then we'd do the weekly pillow fort tournament. The teams changed around every week, but so far I'd been on the winning team five times out of eight, which I was pretty proud of. I'd also gotten over the fangirl feelings I got when I was around the Justice League, so I felt pretty professional.

The third session was the first time Artemis decided to grace me with actually speaking, even if it was just 'No'. As it turns out, Dick can also make sounds other than a giggle, but apparently prefers not to, in order to make people go heads over heels trying to figure out what he wants. 

So overall, I felt like I had made some real progress (and a nice amount of cash). So, when Green Arrow told me on the way to the Cave that there'd be two more kids for me to take care of, I figured I could handle it. After all, if I could handle seven, surely I can handle nine. 

"Hey, Lexi, Zatanna and Raquel are here!" M'gann shouted, grinning. She pulled my arm towards the direction of the two newbies, and their League guardians. I'd gotten two new files, and I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

"Hello" I said, waving at the two small girls, and the two men that they belonged to. 

"Ah, hello. Thank you for agreeing to take Raquel. I hope she will not be too much of a handful." Raquel's guardian, Icon stepped forward. Raquel herself, a tall seven year old with dark skin and hair, walked alongside him, looking quite happy and pleased. 

"I'm sure it will be fine, we have lots of fun." I say, smiling at Raquel.

"Really? What sort of stuff do you do?" Raquel eyed me suspiciously, looking me up and down.

"Well, every week we have a big pillow fight with blanket forts, and today I also brought in some movies." I said, pulling out the movies I had rented. I'd brought some of the newest movies that I wasn't sure if they'd seen yet. I'd discovered that even though these kids were protégés, children and relatives to superheroes, they absolutely adored Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and all of those. Which I guess wasn't that surprising, they were kids. But I half expected them to be into violent movies and things like Call of Duty. Maybe I underestimated the parenting skills of the League. Like Batman. For a guy so dark and mysterious, Dick is one of the happiest kids I've ever met. 

"A pillow fight?" Raquel asks, half-interested but still suspicious.

"We make huge blanket forts, and then we attack each other with pillows." I say, making little gestures with my hands to convey attacking. M'gann is nodding wildly next to me.

"It will be safe though?" An accented voice speaks, and I look up. It's Zatara, holding who must be his daughter, Zatanna in his arms. The little girl, who's the same age as Raquel, looks absolutely ecstatic. Her father, not so much. 

"Don't worry, I set rules, and we only throw pillows. We've done it eight times so far, and no one has gotten hurt, except for the time Wally ran into a wall." I tried to sound reassuring. Zatara looked concerned, but Zatanna looked like it was Christmas and she had gotten all of the toys. 

"Can I do that Daddy? Can I?!" Zatanna said. M'gann went up to Zatara and gave her the cutest face she could muster. The magician sighed.

"Yes, you can do that. But you must promise me to be careful." Zatara looked sternly at his daughter, who nodded like crazy, swearing to be the most careful person on the planet. 

I like these two. At least it evens out the girls to the boys, if you include me. They also both have a sort of energy that not all of the others do. M'gann and Wally definitely do, but the others are bit more subdued, except for maybe Dick. He's somewhere in the middle. 

I suddenly feel something attach itself to the back of my shirt. Looking over my shoulder, I see a mop of black hair, and the Batman standing behind me. I'm still not sure why Dick acts like a koala. But he doesn't stay attached to me as long as he used to, now he actually participates in what the others are doing. 

Yes, I'm looking forward to this. 

 

\---------

 

"Alright guys, so anyone have anything they want to do?" I ask. I like to start by seeing if they have any plans, so I can get them out of the way before I lose too much energy and before the great pillow fight. 

"Ooh! Ooh!" Zatanna raised her hand, jumping up and down in her spot.

"Yes?" 

"Can we do the pillow fight now?" She asks, grinning up to me with the same look she gave her father. It's one of the most adorable things I'd ever seen.

"No, the pillow fight is always after lunch. Then we have lots of time to do it." I say calmly, trying not to look directly into her eyes. 

"Awwww." She ups the ante, but I ain't falling for it. 

"Don't worry, we can play other games right now." I say. The others begin murmuring among themselves, listing off games and other activities. 

"What about board games?" 

"I want to play Red Rover."

"That's no fair, you always use your superspeed." 

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"What about hide and seek?" Raquel seemed unaware of the sudden looks the others (except Zatanna) gave her. Artemis smirked. I grimaced. 

We'd played hide and seek only once, in the fourth session. I figured since Artemis was talking to me, I'd reward it by playing her favourite game. As it turns out, when she knows others are actually playing with her, the game gets a lot more... Complicated. Not just thanks to her.

 

\---------

 

I listened to the incessant giggling, cursing silently under my breath. I was sopping wet, and my hair clung to my face in strands. This was the worst idea Id ever had in my life. How could I have forgotten the first rule that I held myself to when babysitting these kids. Don't let Dick out of your sight. Now I was gonna pay. 

Especially if Batman found out. 

I walked into the kitchen, Kaldur and Conner walking nervously beside me. All the others were being extremely elusive. The giggling started anew, sounding closer.

"Look out!" Conner jumped out the way, right before there was a fwoomp sound. I closed my eyes. Kaldur made a shout of surprise, but he hadn't been hit with the worst of it. Opening my eyes, I felt the powder mix in with the water in my hair and on my skin, making a sticky substance that I hated. 

Damn it Dick, I thought, trying to brush off the flour/water mixture from my hair. Kaldur had some of it on him too, and Conner looked on in shock with only a small amount of dry flour on him.

 

\---------

 

I was still finding dried clumps of flour in my hair. Let's just say I had to threaten cancelling the pillow fight, not to mention lunch, to get them to come out. 

"No, let's play a different game." I said.

"Hide and seek!" Dick said from my back, giggling. I narrowed my eyes. How dare you betray me.

"See! Dick wants to do it." Raquel replied, oblivious.

"No, what about-" I grimaced as the situation went beyond my control.

"I'll play." Artemis said, grinning innocently. I made a list of kids who would definitely not be on my team later on. 

"Yeah, let's do hide and seek!" Zatanna clapped her hands. The five hold-outs looked among themselves. I gave them a look. Please don't.

"I wanna play!" Wally jumped forward, giving me the biggest 'what are you gonna do about it' grin he could muster. Oh, that boy is going down. 

"That's five, that's most of us." Raquel said, quite pleased with herself. I groaned inwardly for ever deciding that I would abide by majority decisions the group made. I should have made a rule against hide and seek. Why didn't I make that a rule? 

"Alright." I sighed in defeat. But I was not going to deal with what happened last time.

"But since you suggested it, you have to be it first." I say, putting on my best 'it's only fair' voice.

"Okay!" Raquel says happily. M'gann quickly covers her mouth, and Artemis doesn't bother hiding another smirk.

"Alright, count to one hundred. Everyone else, remember the rules. Can't go outside the Cave, only go to places that are actually accessible to whoever is it, and don't use powers once the countdown is over." I say. Everyone nodded. I decide to try and limit the damage.

"I'll go with Dick, since he is the littlest." I make sure the boy is still there, and quickly take off my jacket and bring it around the front. 

Raquel takes a moment, before covering her eyes.

"Ready, go! One, two, three..." Raquel begins to count, and everyone scatters. Wally disappears in an instant, powers are allowed to get to your hiding spot, but not after. Kaldur takes off in the direction of the pool, and M'gann flies off. I take Dick, who points me in the direction he wants me to go. 

I hope this works out alright.

 

\---------

 

Oh god, I have no idea where we are. Dick had led me into the vents. I thought vents weren't actually supposed to be big enough to crawl inside. I mean, movies don't get everything right. But now I was lost. Dick certainly wasn't, but I was. I made sure to always check that he was still there. If I lost him now, I would never find my way out. 

It had been a while since the game had started. I'd heard Raquel yell 'Found you' a few times. I sincerely doubted she would find us in here. I'd begun wearing a watch in order to keep track of time. I did lunch at 12:30pm. It was 11:27am right now, which left me about forty five minutes before I usually start making lunch. 

I hadn't seen any of the other kids since the game had started. Artemis I think had gone into the vents as well, but I haven't seen her. 

"Alright Dick, we're gonna stay here. I need to make lunch at noon, so we can hide for another forty five minutes, ok?" I say, not quite sure how I'll be entertained for forty five minutes. Dick seemed a bit disgruntled, probably because he had to bring me along, but I brushed it off.

 

\---------

 

"Found you!"

"I found you!"

"See you!" 

Raquel was feeling pretty proud of herself. She'd found Conner really quickly (He was loud). Then she'd found Kaldur, Zatanna and Roy. She also found Wally, even though he tried to run with his superspeed. She had just caught him in a force field.

"That's cheating!" Wally cried out in a huff, banging on the force field.

"Well so is using your superspeed, so there! I caught you." Raquel crossed her arms. 

"Fine." With a smile, she let down the force field. Wally sat on the ground, pouting. 

"Grow up. It's not like you were the first to be caught." Raquel gestured over to the others. Zatanna waved. 

"Let's go! We need to find the others!" She said, jumping up and down.

Raquel nodded, and began walking. She tried to think of where they would be. She found the others by thinking of where they might go. Kaldur had been in the pool, Conner had been in one of the bedrooms, Zatanna had been with Roy in another of the bedrooms, and Wally had been in the kitchen.

Artemis wasn't in any of the bedrooms, and Raquel figured she was hiding under something, or in something. Since Dick was with Lexi, she figured they might be in a room somewhere, like a closet. M'gann could be anywhere. She could fly. 

As Raquel entered the main living room, she looked up. Sure enough, M'gann was up on the roof, sitting on a ledge naturally made by the mountain. 

"Found you M'gann!" Raquel shouted, pointing up. The Martian looked around, and upon seeing that she had indeed been caught, floated down happily. 

Now, Raquel thought. Doing a headcount, there were seven kids, including her. Two remained, and one babysitter. 

 

\---------

 

"Alright mister, no dessert!" I tried to look as stern as I could, staring down a five-year old. Dick had gone and done what I specifically tried to get him not to do. He'd led Raquel on a wild goose chase that ended up with her (and Zatanna) covered in water, and yes, flour. The spat attack that followed, courtesy of Raquel, was not something I will forget. Let's just say Wally covered M'gann's ears for it. 

The only problem with this was that Dick was raised by Batman, and no matter what glare I tried to use, he wasn't buying it. Only the threat of no dessert got him up.

"But-" He tried saying, but I was not going to let up here. Nope. Hide and seek was a sore spot for me.

"No buts. I told you not to do that to Raquel, and you did." Dick huffed, putting his lip out. 

The others watched in slight wonder and amusement. Artemis hadn't been found by Raquel when the... Incident occurred, but at some point she had turned up. Raquel and Zatanna were both in the bathroom, with M'gann helping them clean up. 

"Now, what do you have to say for yourself." I finish, crossing my arms in what I hope is a 'I'm disappointed' gesture. 

"Sorry." Dick doesn't sound very sincere, but I'll accept it. 

"Now. I'm going to check on the girls. Dick, come with me." I walk off with Dick, leaving the others in the living room. I just hope that Raquel doesn't try to destroy Dick in the pillow fight, since I'm fairly certain she won't stand for being in his team.

 

\---------

 

"Okay guys, let's do this. Artemis, you'll be with me. M'gann, you get to go out and collect the pillows. Zatanna, Raquel, you make sure the base doesn't get too messed up, and do whatever you can to help." Roy pointed to each team member in turn. He was considered the most senior member of team Girls and Roy, despite M'gann being older. So he was the leader. 

"Can we sneak into their base?" Raquel asked, relishing the idea of being able to do so.

"Yeah, but you can't go in there alone. If our base holds up, I guess you can go with Zatanna while we hold the fire." Roy shrugged. He'd be mad at Dick too if it happened to him, so he figured it would be better to just let Raquel go at it. He didn't really care. 

"Great! How much longer do we have?" Roy looked out from their base. The other team, which they had named Double B (meaning Boys and Babysitter, since most of the boys and Lexi were on that team) was getting into positions on their own base.

"Not long. Everyone, get into positions. Let's do this!" Roy grinned. He and Artemis hadn't been on the same team until now. Time to show them what they could do together. Artemis was grinning as well. They were so gonna destroy the other team.

M'gann flew up through the base to take her spot. Zatanna and Raquel moved further in, ending up on either side. Roy and Artemis were in the middle, giving them full range to throw, and a good view of the other team. The downside was that the other team also had a good view of them, but you can't have everything. 

They had half the pillows as starting ammo, and the other team had the other half. Of their supply, they had most of it out front with a few piles in the back as emergency supplies. 

Artemis and Roy both picked up a pillow, and got into position. Artemis peeked up from behind their cover, getting a look at the enemy base.

"Split into two, looks like two main throwing areas. Side entrance, probably for Wally on the left." She barked, getting back down every few seconds to relay information.

"Support?" 

"They've got a ladder holding up each of the two areas, look pretty stable. Blankets are connected to each other with pegs." Artemis usually didn't talk much, but this was a battle. Besides, he'd known her for like, a bazillion years. She talked to him. 

"You take right, I'll go left." Roy says, peeking up to figure out optimal position. 

There was an eerie silence as the two teams settled into position and waited for the game to start. Lexi had a timer set for forty five minutes, and they all listened for the beeping that would signal the end of its countdown. 

"Remember, we are superheroes, and these are our friends." Roy says to Artemis, who rolls her eyes.

"So... No mercy?" 

"You got it."

BEEP

The pillows flew.

Roy nailed a direct hit to one of the pegs connecting two blankets in the middle of their base. It flapped apart, leaving a wide hole. Shouting came from said hole. Pft. This would be easy.

And so it was. Roy and Artemis really were a great team. Probably came from being with the same mentor, and being archers helped with their accuracy. They could throw pillows almost as fast as M'gann could pick them up, and Wally being limited to carrying just one pillow a time didn't help matters, even if he was never hit by them the entire game. 

Zatanna could fix the base quite quickly thanks to the basic magic she knew. Raquel, on the other hand, had a plan. She wasn't content to merely letting Roy and Artemis destroy the base with pillows. She intended on going inside and wrecking it with her own hands. 

"Hey Zatanna, let's go!" Raquel said.

"Really, where?" Zatanna's cheeks were flushed with excitement from the battle. It really was as fun as she thought it would be. 

"Over to their base! We're gonna wreck it." Raquel grinned, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"Oh cool! But how are we gonna get there?" 

"We'll sneak over, silly! Through the kitchen." Raquel pointed over to the kitchen, and Zatanna's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding, before nodding in agreement. 

The two snuck across the battlefield. Fortunately for them, Artemis and Roy were managing to keep team BB occupied, and they got across with relative ease. 

"Now what?" Zatanna said, having followed her intrepid leader this far. 

"We wreck it." Raquel followed her answer with charging in and pulling down blankets as fast as she could. It was a rather effective method of destruction. The other team were extremely surprised at her sudden entrance, and for a moment, it seemed like Raquel would release her wrath unhindered. But then Wally came in brandishing a pillow. 

Then, it went from a pillow fort/fight/battle thing to a full-on pillow fight extravaganza. Zatanna quickly rushed in to help her friend, and when the others realised team BB was no longer firing, ventured across no-man's land to join the fight. 

What resulted was a destroyed base, one beaten team, and one extremely happy Raquel. Not to mention a huge mess. But, since team Girls and Roy's base was still standing, and the members of their team still with energy to keep going, they were declared the winners. 

Raquel was satisfied with her revenge, despite having a couple scrapes, and a bruise forming on her arm where Conner had elbowed her. Zatanna had had the time of her life, despite not being entirely useful during the fight, with the weakest hits in the world. The rest of their team were joyous over the victory, and team BB admitted defeat with their pride smushed into the ground. 

 

\---------

 

"Come on Wally, it's ok." I said, trying to comfort my forlorn team member.

"But we lost! To a bunch of girls." Wally said, frowning. We sat in the middle of our rubble, wondering where it all went wrong. The others had all managed to shrug off their defeat rather admirably.

"Yeah, but we can't win all the time. You've lost a few times before." I remind him.

"Yeah, but like, that was when you were on the other team." Wally lay down on his back, looking dejectedly up at the ceiling. 

"Hey, I'm not an instant-win card. I've lost before." I didn't mentioned that my losses were in the minority, as I figured that wouldn't help.

Wally looked over to me. He was a six-year old, though rapidly approaching his seventh birthday. He was one of the more energetic kids of this little group, and to be honest, I really liked it. Though Kaldur, Conner and some of the others are all generally easy to take care of, I was an extroverted person and loved when others wanted to move and do stuff. To a certain point. I loved all the kids though.

"Yeah, but I don't like losing." 

"Well, I don't think anyone really likes losing." I liked to consider myself pretty intuitive when it came to feelings, especially with kids. It was a bit of a bragging point really, I want to do something in psychology when I finish school, and I'd been practising my counselling skills with my friends, and just whenever I could. 

"Well I really, really don't like losing." 

"Well, just think. It's a pillow fight, right?" I try to think of something I can say to make him happier. What he had done during the match, what he's good at.

"And when Raquel snuck into our base, you were the first one to notice. I was right there, and I didn't realise until you began hitting her with a pillow" I chuckled. I had been practically blind to Raquel destroying our base. 

"Yeah, but then we lost anyway." Wally sat up. I could hear some of the other kids shouting my name, demanding attention. 

"But you managed to hold Raquel back until Zatanna and the rest of her team got there. That was really impressive." I ruffle his hair playfully. 

"You and the others were there too." 

"Kaldur and Conner were both focused on the other teams base, and Dick and I had a blanket dropped on us for the first thirty seconds of that. You did a lot on your own." Okay, it hadn't been thirty seconds. Probably more like a minute because I couldn't find the exit, but I wasn't going to admit that I couldn't get out from under a blanket. 

"Yeah, I guess so." 

"Besides, there's not a single person who has won all their games. Zatanna and Raquel don't count, because they just started." I tried to think back to my score sheets. I'd lost about four times now, and the others were all around the same number. I'm pretty sure M'gann had the highest number of wins at about six, while the lowest number was about three, I think. I knew Wally was around the middle of the pack though.

"I guess so, but we got beat so badly! The other times it was really close." 

"Well, they had M'gann, and Roy and Artemis on the same team. I didn't know those two were so good together." I was pretty sure it wasn't a good idea to make it seem like it was the others team being overpowered was the reason they won. But Wally already valued M'gann as an important player, and the other two were both great on their own as well. 

"Besides, there's always next time where you can beat Raquel." Wally grinned, liking the idea of revenge. 

Hmmm, this couldn't backfire on me in any way. Nope. Continuing the cycle of revenge. I'm pretty sure my mum said revenge was petty and a poor answer to a problem, but it's just a pillow fight tournament. Healthy competition. As long as it stuck to the pillow fight from now on, it should be fine. Hopefully. Right?

 

\---------

 

"You're going down Raquel!" Wally shouted as he pummelled the girl into the ground with pillows.

"Lexi, make him stop!" But I was all the way on the other side of the field. The shouting was so loud, I could barely hear it. But I looked around anyway, and upon seeing Wally exacting his revenge, I stood up to intervene. Too bad Zatanna got in before me.

"Og yawa yllaW!" It was a basic spell, but it sent Wally careening backwards, crashing right into Roy, who fell over. 

"Zatanna!" Roy shouted, before he too joined the fray. 

 

\---------

 

A well-aimed pillow at Zatanna knocked her over, landing on a few more pillows. The girl blinked a few times at shock, trying to figure out the culprit before jumping back into the pillow fight.

"Roy! She's on our team!" Conner said, looking at the redhead in annoyance. Roy shrugged, grinning.

"Whoops." 

 

\---------

 

I was beginning to wonder if the pillow fight tournament was a good idea. 

The last few weeks, it had gone down around about the same way. Everything starts off great, but after about ten minutes they drop all pretences of the castle warfare, and move into close quarters. That wasn't so much of a concern, it was allowed, but I was worried someone was going to get hurt. 

The pillows were normal sized, and Dick, the smallest, was barely twice the height of the average pillow. 

On the other hand, they seemed to be having fun. The revenge cycle that was happening was at least not going beyond the pillows, and they were obeying the rules. But maybe, a break was needed. 

So, with Wally's birthday being the day after I visited next (I babysat each Saturday, his birthday was on the Sunday), I decided to do a party or something instead of the weekly pillow fight. I didn't have a lot of time, but I tried to plan something. 

I let the Justice League know my plan, and asked the Flash for ideas. He just said 'Wally loves food, so if you have a lot of that, he'll probably be happy. But... Don't give him too much sugar.' I figured that was the best I was gonna get, and looked up party games and other things. 

So I got to show up early. Since Green Arrow picked me up, Artemis and Roy were also along for the ride. GA didn't want to make two trips, but they were happy enough to help. Help being a relative term. Roy's idea of 'helping' was following me around and asking about every single item I had brought. Artemis' version was sitting on the bench rifling through the bags and asking if she could have this on her birthday. 

But eventually I had it set up.

There was one of those 'happy birthday' banners that I'd stretched across the entrance to the kitchen, and a few balloons here and there, but there wasn't much apart from that. At least, not until Batman arrived with Dick. 

Balloons and streamers were everywhere, there were at least three bubble machines, a piñata (shaped like a unicorn). Then he brought in a jumping castle, which I couldn't believe fit in the Cave in the first place, or how he managed to set it up, with a ball pit. A ball pit. Let's just say Artemis and Roy wanted Batman to plan all their birthday parties for the rest of their lives. 

And he did it all with the exact same, deadpan 'I'm too serious for life' face. I think his face is actually stuck like that. Or maybe Dick sucked all the happiness out for himself, I don't know. 

"Wow. This is amazing!" Batman and I were standing together, off to the side. Artemis, Roy and Dick were 'testing' the jumping castle, and making a mess of the ball pit. I kept looking over at Batman. Same face.

"The more memorable this is, the more likely they'll forget the fighting." I wonder for a moment as to how Batman knew about it. Then again, this is the Justice League. Maybe the reason they were so chill about what I did was because they already knew. Or maybe Batman was making an extra effort and everyone else was chill about it. 

 

\---------

 

"Hey, do you think the kids are alright?" The Flash sat at the large table, made for all the League members, but currently only housing himself and Green Arrow. 

"Yeah, I'm sure they're fine. Bats is probably watching them anyway." Green Arrow took a sip of a soda. He was loving these Saturdays. 

 

\---------

 

"Master Wayne, may I ask what you are doing?" Alfred Pennysworth generally didn't intrude upon his employers business, but was a bit curious as to why he was watching what seemed to be a pillow fight on a large scale.

"I'm watching the kids." Was the only reply.

 

\---------

 

"Woah! This is so cool! Is this all for me!" Wally ran through the room, mouth open wide. Most of the others had arrived and were playing. 

"Well, it is your birthday tomorrow, right?" I kneel down to him, smiling. 

"Yeah, but how did you know!" The information was on the files, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Way too boring.

"It's a secret!" Putting a finger to my lips, I grin. Returning the smile, as Wally races over to join the others at the jumping castle. 

"Wow. You really went all out." The Flash came up to me. And he complimented me. Okay, so I wasn't completely over the whole 'Oh my god superheroes' thing, it's hard not to. These guys had saved the world, and by extension me, multiple times. I felt a temptation to accept the compliment, and the credit that went with it. But Batman would find out. Probably.

"Batman got most of this stuff. I brought the food." The food table was filled with home-baked brownies, cupcakes and cookies. It was mostly from those mix packets you by from the supermarket, but they still tasted good. I'd also gotten my mother to buy some candy bags and chocolate. 

"Well either way, it's really cool. Good job." The Flash grinned, before disappearing in a blink. I stand there staring at the empty space for a moment. They did like me.

It was stupid, I know. But I didn't have any powers or anything. I was just a normal high schooler with some babysitting experience who wanted to save up for college. Well, the normal part may not completely apply anymore, considering my job. But I was still a civilian. I don't really live the insane, amazing life these guys do. The kids will grow up and fight bad guys, and save the world. I'm just entertaining them every Saturday.

But it felt amazing when they said I do a good job. Heck, I was amazed when they asked me to come back a second time. That felt like ages ago. It had only been about four months. 

"Woah guys, look at the piñata!" 

 

\---------

 

Note to self: Figure out how much energy children can have. 

The party had gone on past lunch, after which the snack table was messier than the two flour+water incidents combined. The piñata had been utterly destroyed, and so had part of the ground. Good job remembering Conner has super strength Lexi. On the other hand, the kids now hailed Conner as a lord among men, Martians, etc. 

Wally had been ecstatic the whole day, and his energy levels went through the roof. No matter how many games they played or things they did, he remained consistently energetic and excited. The others had been just as hyperactive, but Wally stood out as his super-speed meant he would go on short bursts of shooting forward when he didn't mean to. He'd bumped into walls, tables, humans and other things too many times for me to count. Naturally, nothing fazed him. 

I had been run ragged. My days of infinite energy were numbered, and I got tired somewhere around two pm. Since then, I'd survived through copious amounts of coffee (kept hidden from the kids, no way was I going to let them get near that) and a lot of sugar. Only now, approaching dinner, I was crashing. Big time. The only consolation was that some of the kids had done the same.

M'gann had crashed even worse than I had, just falling asleep on the jumping castle. I'd moved her into one of the rooms, where she still was. Dick had joined her not too long after, though he hadn't been affected as quickly as M'gann had, and had the sense of mind to tell me he felt like he was about to collapse.

Of the remaining kids, only Wally, Conner, Zatanna, Artemis and Roy really remained active. Kaldur and Raquel had resigned to playing board games in a corner, with a few bowls of candy beside them. 

Now, it was approaching six thirty, and as I poured myself another cup of coffee, I went over how to wind this party down before I died from exhaustion. 

Shouts of delight were echoing throughout the kitchen. How did they still have energy? Artemis and Roy had both been night owls anyway, but you'd think since Wally processes food quicker he'd crash quicker too. Instead, he had more energy than if I mixed an energy drink with coffee and drank it right before starting a hockey game. I've tried it, games are early and I am not a morning person. The results were... Interesting. 

As I drank my coffee, I tried to keep my sleepy eyes from closing. Alright. Do I even have dinner planned? If I don't clean this up the League is gonna kill me. I need to get on top of this. Just go out, and tell them that it's time to calm down. 

I begin to enter the zone of destruction. Ripped streamers and popped balloons littered the floor. Jellybeans were scattered around, and candy wrappers were to be found every few metres. The bubble machines had long since run out of mixture, and sat uselessly where they had been placed. The hissing sound of the jumping castle was background noise, and there was squeaking as kids jumped all over it. 

"Alright guys, time to calm down." I say, but my voice is lost, coming out as a hoarse whisper. 

Clearing my throat, I try again, a bit louder.

"Wally? Conner? Guys, time to come out." Artemis appears in the doorway of the jumping castle, looking at me expectantly. Her hair, usually tied in a low ponytail, had come loose, reaching down past her shoulders. There were a few stains on her green shirt, and a few scrapes on her arms and legs. She did not go easy on musical chairs. 

"Artemis? It's getting late. Time to get off the jumping castle." Artemis nods, yawning slightly, but quickly stifling it. A large yawn forces its way out of me as well. Well, time for a gulp of coffee. Artemis disappears into the jumping castle.

She soon comes out again, sliding onto the floor. Zatanna follows soon after, her hair frizzy, as if she had rubbed a balloon on it for a few minutes. She too had stains on her clothes, and a smear of chocolate on her face. She's grinning ecstatically, a sign to me that she still had energy to burn. Maybe I should get a treadmill in here. Is there a treadmill in the Cave?

Conner slips out of the jumping castle, looking none the worse for wear. At all. His shirt has a few tears in it, but other than that he looks pretty much exactly the same. What was that kids secret, I needed to know. 

Wally and Roy still remain in the jumping castle, but I can deal. I got three out of five out, so that's like a... Um... Three out of five success rate. My befuddled brain tried to figure out the percentage of kids I had successfully retrieved from the jumping castle, as said kids looked around, expecting me to do something. 

"Okay, um. It's going to be dinner soon, so it's time to calm down. Kaldur and Raquel are playing board games over there, but no more running around, ok?" Three kids nod and walk off to the corner Kaldur and Raquel have claimed as their own. I watch them walk, trying to figure out how exactly I thought this was a better idea than a pillow fight. 

I surveyed the mess around me. Small pieces of litter was everywhere. The food table had snacks mixed together in bowls, spilled over, with chocolate and chips cascading from the table to the floor. Pieces of the piñata had somehow ended up halfway across the room from where the piñata had been handing. Chairs were in a small cluster in the middle of one space, and the music player had been playing the same song on repeat for who knows how long. And I had nearly finished my cup of coffee. 

But I had to clean this up. The kids would be way too tired to do it, and I had stayed up late before. Sure, I'd never had a huge party with nine kids and enough sugar to make a blue whale hyperactive, if that even makes sense, beforehand, but there's a first time for everything. 

I look over at Artemis, Conner and Zatanna. Artemis and Conner have both safely made it to board game land, but Zatanna has sat down on the ground, yawning loudly. 

Trying, and failing, to repress a yawn, I meander my way over to her. I'm only about twenty feet from where I had been when Zatanna promptly leaned over and fell asleep on the ground.

I'm gonna need more coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thanks to everyone who has read this and kudo's this story, it really means a lot. This isn't the first fanfiction I've written, but it is the first I've done for Young Justice, so if the characterisation is off, please tell me so I can remedy it. I may also bring some of my other FanFiction over here, but for now this is my only story on this site.
> 
> So, with the aging I've done of the characters, basically, yes it's an AU, so their ages don't line up with how old they are, relative to each other, in canon. Dick is still the youngest, at five, and Kaldur the oldest, at nine, but the others are all mixed up in between.
> 
> Also, here we have the entrance of Zatanna and Raquel (Rocket) to the group that I have recently decided to name SuperKids. Basically, Zatanna is an extremely energetic girl who loves everyone and everything, and Raquel is more toned-down and aware. 
> 
> I do have some more characters in mind that I might introduce, but we'll see how my writing goes. 
> 
> Please feel free to tell me what you think of the story, and how I can improve. Otherwise, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Sleepovers are Always Fun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League has to go off-world, and those left are stretched thin protecting the world. With no one to take care of the SuperKids, what do they do? Get Lexi to stay overtime of course! Unfortunately, she doesn't get paid extra. That was in the contract.

"Artemis?" Doing a double take, I could see the blonde five year old perched on a bench, on the side lines of the hockey field. Thank the lord I was playing goalie this week, and my team was keeping the ball on the other end of the field. 

Hockey season had started, and I'd made the team. Well, that might be a bit of a relative term. Hockey wasn't the most popular sport at my school, rowing and netball were more popular. The opens team only had thirteen people try out, including me. Eleven to a team, so everyone got in. At least we had subs. The juniors team only had nine players, and the tenth graders had even been moved down.

But it was the first game of the season, and I was goalie. It was only about twenty minutes in, and the scores were still nil to both teams. I'd been in what I called the 'goalie zone' in which one gets completely focused on keeping track of the ball. 

At least, until said ball went right past the bench where a certain child was sitting. Oh, and look, Green Arrow is there too now. And Roy. All three were wearing totally concealing sunglasses, but considering that Artemis hadn't even changed her favourite hairstyle, and that I only know one group consisting of a blonde adult, blond child and redhead boy, it was kinda obvious to me. Great, next thing you know, Batman is going to show up with Dick. I quickly scanned the crowd to make sure that wasn't the case.

Half-time came and went. I was pretty sure neither Artemis nor Roy noticed me, considering the goalie gear was so big and cumbersome. Green Arrow knew though. I'm not sure how, but he knew. 

The game ended, two to one, to the opposing team. Everyone was still pretty happy, considering we'd kept the game pretty close. My hockey team was pretty chill about that sort of stuff. The juniors even came over, also having lost their game. Not having a full team didn't help matters for them. 

But as I was taking the goalie gear off, Artemis, Roy and GA came bouncing over. Well, Roy did. Artemis and GA walked.

"Hey Lexi!" Roy completely ignored some of the weird looks my teammates were giving me.

"Lexi, who's this?" My friend Natalie, the one who got me into hockey when I first came to my school, walked over with her water bottle and hockey stick. She grinned down at Roy, who grinned back. 

"Um, Natalie, these are two of the kids I babysit." I say, not really wanting to give names, just in case I screw up, and they had fake names like Dinah or Richard. 

"Oh cool, hi guys! What's your names?" 

"I'm Jake, and this is Lucy" Roy pointed to himself and Artemis in turn. Green Arrow looked up to me, which I took as a cue to pretend that yes, that is their names. Thankfully, Natalie wasn't a very suspicious person, and since the kids were apparently well-versed in these fake identities, she had no reason to disbelieve them.

"That's a nice name. Anyway, my mother is here, so bye!" Natalie waved to me and the kids, before running off to where her mother was standing. I turned back to Green Arrow.

"Um, it's a bit early for you to pick me up. Not that I mind!" I added the last part hurriedly. I could practically feel Artemis smirk even though I wasn't facing her.

"Yes, I know. We'll be stopping by your house. There's something we need you to do." Green Arrow said vaguely, looking pointedly at all the parents and players milling around. I got the message. Talk in the car.

"Oh, ok. Let's go. My parents know, right?" Green Arrow nodded, and I followed to where the car was.

"Don't worry, we told them. We're having a sleepover!" Roy said, jumping in front of me excitedly. I stopped walking, from surprise, and not wanting to bowl into him. 

A sleepover?

 

\---------

 

"There's an emergency off-world. A lot of the League is needed, and it will be a day before any of us will be able to come back." Green Arrow was explaining. I was shotgun, as always, and was taking in all the information quietly.

Justice League had to go into space. Those remaining still need to deal with Earth's problems. League understaffed, no one to take care of kids except me. For a night, until someone can come back and take over. The main question was, can I handle it? Green Arrow seemed to think so , treating the whole thing like I'd already agreed. 

Which I was totally going to do. To be honest, I'd love have a sleepover with the SuperKids. I figured I could handle anything they could throw at me at this point. Besides, I got them to bed every week anyway. The only thing different this time would be that I'd just stay over for the night, get them breakfast, and just hang out until someone comes back. 

"Okay, I can do that." I looked back at Artemis and Roy in the back seat. They had taken off their sunglasses, while Green Arrow still kept his on. Roy was grinning wildly, loving the idea of a sleepover. Artemis might have been smiling, but it was hard to tell since her smile and her scowl looked quite similar. 

 

\---------

 

"I'm not sleepy!" Zatanna kicked her blankets away. In the full spirit of a sleepover, all the kids had dragged their blankets and pillows over to the couch area with the tv. Dick, Raquel and Conner all claimed a couch each, and Artemis literally dragged out a mattress, refusing to sleep on the actual ground. I wonder if that girl has ever been camping.

The girls had ended up on one side of the hastily constructed sleep zone, and the boys on the other. M'gann and Conner, neither of whom had ever been on a sleepover, had been a bit confused when told that usually, people slept less when friends were staying with them. M'gann had been delighted to discover that she didn't have to try to stay asleep the whole time, and Conner had just smiled happily. 

I had ended up being the divide of the boys and the girls. My mother had given me a blow up mattress, but I sacrificed that to Wally, who insisted he needed it. I went Artemis' route and found a mattress in one of the rooms, and dragged that out. 

We'd had a marathon of movies, during which Dick, Wally and M'gann had all fallen asleep. Kaldur and Raquel relented soon after, leaving Conner, Zatanna, Artemis and Roy awake, along with me.

Conner was at least trying to sleep, rolling over and over. Whenever he was facing me, I could see his eyes were open and he was frowning in annoyance. The two wards of Green Arrow watched Zatanna fight for some extra time awake in amusement. 

"Zatanna, it's late, you have to go to sleep!" I said, desperately dodging her little feet and hands. 

"I don't wanna! I want to watch another movie!" The black haired bombshell scrunched up her nose, and my mind instantly went to one thing. Temper tantrum. With all the other kids in the immediate vicinity. That wouldn't end well. 

"Okay Zatanna, calm down, it's ok." Zatanna takes my reassurance as a sign that yes, she can watch another movie. She immediately brightened, picking up the remote and looking up at me expectantly. I was treading on eggshells.

"Hey, if we're watching another movie, it's my turn to pick." Roy piped up from his perch.  
"No, my turn." Artemis countered from her mattress. Oh lord, I don't want to deal with them arguing.

"No, it's my turn!"

"My turn!"

"It was your turn before Kaldur!"

"Well your turn was after Kaldur!" 

I sighed, resigned to my fate.

"Be quiet guys, we don't want to wake anyone up." I said, gesturing to the sleeping kids surrounding them. Artemis and Roy glared at each other from the two sides of the room. Even with the dim lights, I knew they were glaring. I could practically hear the tension.

"Okay, one more movie, then straight to bed, or else." I let the 'or else' linger. I can also practically hear Artemis and Roy roll their eyes, but they don't argue. Zatanna buys it completely, happily throwing me the remote and the DVD she wants played.

I had turned the volume down on the tv for the benefit of those sleeping. Pity that the moment I turned the movie on, all of them were up and watching as well.

These kids had ears like a bunch of bats. 

 

\---------

 

What I woke up to the next morning was interesting, to say the least. 

Wally had, at some point during the night, gone over the boundaries of the blow-up mattress, and was now sleeping soundly next to it. Artemis had fared better on her mattress, merely being sideways and with the blanket underneath her. She was on her stomach, with her head faced to the side.

The three on the couches had all remained there, though Dick had his legs swung up on the back of the couch, so he looked a bit like a monkey. Conner was stiff straight, and Raquel had her blankets piled on her torso, with her legs and arms uncovered.

M'gann blankets were everywhere except on her, with one halfway on Zatanna, who herself had rolled over closer to where the Martian was sleeping anyway. 

I had woken up with my head where my feet had been the night before, and my blankets were pulled up to my head. It was, essentially, a mess of blankets and small bodies. 

All the kids were still asleep, so I figured that I should do something productive, like making breakfast, or at least cleaning up where I had slept.

I went back to sleep. 

Wally woke me up for the second time, namely by jumping on my mattress until he hit my leg a few dozen times at superspeed. The others winced at my shout, as I shot up from my mattress faster than should be humanly possible. Well, for those without superspeed. 

"Oh cool, you're awake!" Wally said happily, beaming at me. I looked at him. His hair was a complete rats nest, as were most of the others, Zatanna especially, who slept with her hair out. Artemis still had her hair in a ponytail, though it looked rough and frizzy. Raquel's hair was shorter, and didn't look as bad. M'gann's hair looked absolutely perfect, somehow. Probably something to do with shapeshifting or whatever Martians can do. The boys hair was all mostly like Wally's, with the exception of Conner, who looked mostly the same. 

"Yup, I'm awake kiddo." Rubbing my eyes tiredly, I stood up on the mattress, trying to think about what I was supposed to do. My stomach answered that question.

"Alright, breakfast." There was a small cheer, and a couple of the kids raced towards the kitchen. The others, along with me, walked slowly, still drowsy. 

 

\---------

 

I suddenly remember the reason why I had avoided giving the kids dinners like soup, or other liquids. It was one thing to flick spaghetti around, though that was rare and usually dinner and lunch passed without incident. But, that morning, where the kids were still only about sixty percent awake, and had the novelty of a sleepover to work off, was a bit different.

Predictably enough, it was mostly the sevens that were the problem. The sevens consisted of the kids that were age seven. This included Roy, Conner, Zatanna, Raquel, and now Wally. Characterised by usually causing the trouble (Conner was the usual exception, and Zatanna and Raquel worked as a tag team), the sevens made up the majority of the kids I babysat. M'gann sometimes fit into the group, despite being eight, but usually simply ended up being caught along for the ride. Kaldur was and always had been the most responsible, and Dick and Artemis were a whole other story. 

But while Dick and Artemis had always been a bit more... covert, the sevens were anything but. And so it was, on that morning, where I decided to go for the most logical and convenient breakfast choice, cereal. 

Naturally, it was made very difficult.

"I want the cocoa puffs!" Wally said, reaching out his hand for the box, currently being held by Dick, quite unwilling to stop pouring his own bowl just yet.

"I want some too!" Zatanna piped up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Me too!" The rest of the sevens, as well as M'gann, all voiced their wish for cocoa puffs. 

Dick, either overwhelmed or annoyed by the sudden demand for his box of cereal, promptly decided it would be best to hold onto the box, so no one but him could have it. Artemis and Kaldur, who both preferred cornflakes and had been able to politely take turns with the box, watched the procession.

"I'm sure there is plenty for everyone." Kaldur said. It was true, the box was a huge value pack, there was only so much they could pour into their bowls. I was pretty sure there was even another box in the pantry. But that spare box was momentarily forgotten, as the current one suddenly became the most sought after item in the Cave. 

"But Dick's hogging it!" Wally complained, still reaching out for the elusive box. Dick refused to yield, which only caused the others to clamour for the cereal more. 

"Guys, calm down! Dick, can you please give the cereal box to Wally, you have enough." I bring the milk pitcher over to Dick's bowl. The black-haired boy paused for a moment, considering. Too bad a moment was far too long for Wally.

"Give it!" Wally grabbed for the box wildly, startling Dick, who tightened his grip around the cardboard box. Roy motioned to join the fray, and the rest of them did as well. Conner, ever aware of his super strength, hung back at the group, waiting and hoping for a chance to grab the cereal and end the fight. 

"Guys! Calm down!" My shouts were unheeded as M'gann flew onto the table, causing Kaldur and Artemis to pull their bowls closer to the edge of the table to keep them away from the others. 

The box passed from hand to hand, as Dick, faced with the wrath of the sevens, decided it would be in his best interest to let go. Wally got the box, then Roy, then Raquel, then Zatanna, who made a break for it. She made it all of ten inches before Conner seized the opportunity to take hold the box. Unfortunately, his moment of triumph was spoiled by Zatanna keeping the box in a death grip, and the two engaged in a tug of war that ended in no ones favour. 

There was a ripping sound and Zatanna fell back onto the table, flinging cocoa puffs everywhere. Her arm landed on Artemis' bowl of cereal, tipping it upwards and sending it flying. Her other arm sent the milk pitcher careening across the table. M'gann, in an uncontrolled burst of telekinesis, sent that into the air as well. 

End result? Artemis' cereal is ruined, Zatanna is covered in cornflakes and milk, the rest of us got a decent spraying of milk, there was a huge patch of broken glass, and cocoa puffs littered the kitchen. 

Dead silence followed. Conner looked on in horror, still holding part of the cardboard box of cocoa puffs. Zatanna blinked from where she had landed. M'gann flew over gently, making sure the girl was still alive. Artemis' face was that of sheer disbelief, looking pointedly at her now empty and cracked cereal bowl. Kaldur was drawing a blank, hugging his bowl of cereal to his chest, and the others all had mild looks of shock and guilt. 

"Uh oh." Raquel said simply, looking around at the mess. 

I had barely blinked. 

"My cornflakes!" Artemis said blankly. Not angrily, or annoyed. It was like a statement. 

"I'm sorry!" Conner shouted, staying very still. 

"Ow" Zatanna looked up at M'gann, who was alternating between looking at her friend and picking cocoa puffs out of her hair.

"Oh my god." I said finally. I looked at each child in turn. Artemis was still staring at her destroyed cereal. Conner stood back, his mouth open and his face screaming regret. Raquel looked almost gleeful, like she knew someone was going to get in trouble, and it probably wasn't going to be her. Wally was shooting looks of 'it's your fault, not mine' at pretty much everyone. Dick was hiding under the table, only the top of his black hair visible. Kaldur had slowly resumed eating his cereal, his eyes wide and flicking between me and the others. Zatanna was still on the table, looking slightly dazed. M'gann was looking guiltily over at the broken glass that was once a milk pitcher. Roy had his mouth in an 'o' shape and was mostly looking over at Artemis, slowly creeping in the opposite direction of her. 

I was standing, my eyes wide and my mouth open. My brain, still only half-awake, tried to process the event that had just occurred. 

"Um, Lexi?" Kaldur looked up at me, the others not speaking for fear of getting in trouble for being involved, or in Artemis' case, starting to glare at everyone. 

"Yeah, Kaldur?" My brain was on autopilot, going to the reflexive response I used when the kids spoke my name. 

"Uh, are you okay?" My eyes scanned the room. It was the hazard of broken glass that finally got me moving.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Guys, be super careful of the glass." I stepped closer to the glass, mindful that the kids were barefoot. 

"Zatanna, are you okay sweetie?" The girl in question was slowly sitting up, rubbing her head but otherwise unharmed.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Really sticky though." A couple of the other kids voiced the same, and the tension diffused. I was too tired to punish anyone at the moment, and was more concerned with making sure no one cut up their feet. 

"What about my cereal!" Artemis complained, crossing her arms in a huff.

"I'll make you a new bowl, but first, everyone needs to get out of the kitchen so I can clean this up." Most of the kids obediently filed their way out one of the kitchen exits, far away from the glass hazard. Zatanna stayed on the table, touching her fingers together and marvelling when she found they were extremely sticky. 

M'gann also hung around, flying through the kitchen space offering help. I put her to work making more cereal for everyone, with the spare box of cocoa puffs and cornflakes for Artemis. Kaldur left the room last, picking up his bowl of cereal to take out. 

I cleaned up the glass, and set down a few towels just in case I missed a few pieces. By the time I announced the kitchen was safe to walk in, M'gann had made enough cereal for everyone. The only problem was the huge mess of milk and cocoa puffs still remained, and the fact that the kids were also part of that mess.

"Alright, after breakfast, everyone is going to get cleaned up." There were a couple cheers and groans, but mostly the kids were silent, carefully watching to make sure no one tried to steal and wreck their cereal. Artemis had picked up her bowl and was now seated in the furthermost corner of the kitchen bench. 

It was only after all the kids had eaten, washed and become nice and clean did I realise that I hadn't eaten anything yet.

 

\---------

 

After bathtime, and getting myself some breakfast, I finally decided that it was time for punishment. Because I like to give everyone a chance to tell their side of the story, I had Artemis and Kaldur in there too, even though I knew they didn't have much of a part in the disaster. So I lined them all up, and began the interrogation.

"Alright guys, I need to know what happened to make the mess." 

"But you were there." Conner looked very confused, and he was a bit pale. I wonder vaguely why he is scared of getting punished, but keep focused.

"Yes I was, but I also want to know why it happened." I was trying to sound calm and in control, but I wasn't sure if it was working.

"Dick was hogging all the cocoa puffs." Wally pointed a finger at the smallest in the room, before crossing his arms. Dick barely reacted.

"Dick, is that true?" The boy looked up at me, and blinked once before deciding to speak.

"No." 

"It is so true!" 

"Wally, calm down. Dick, what did happen then?" I was praying to a few deities that I knew of that he wasn't going to go all mute-boy on me. Not right now. 

"They all wanted it." Then he crossed his arms to show he wasn't going to say anymore. I tried to fill in the blanks.

"So, you weren't sure who to give it too?" Dick nodded, a small grin on his face. Sometimes I wonder about what goes through that boys head.

 

\---------

 

Dick smiled slightly, happy at the results he was getting from the babysitter.

He had trained her well. Soon she would be a perfect superhero!

She just needs a bit more work.

 

\---------

 

"Okay, does anyone else have anything to say?" I look up and down the row of kids, who shift uneasily as I look at them.

"Zatanna spilt my cereal." Artemis said blankly. The other kids ignored her, with Roy glancing at her once. 

I tried to think of a punishment. No dessert probably wasn't going to fly, since we'd passed last night and this sleepover wasn't supposed to go for more than one night. Also, who to punish? Wally technically started it, but all the sevens had had a hand in it, as well as Dick. Probably the only ones I can safely rule out is Kaldur and Artemis. 

"Okay, here's what's going to happen. Wally, Dick, Zatanna, Conner, M'gann, Raquel and Roy, you guys are going to clean up the kitchen." I mentally praised my brain for not cleaning up the rest of the kitchen. The seven kids being punished groaned, though Dick was silent. Artemis nodded, happy that justice for her lost cereal had been served. Kaldur looked at the others with a disappointed look. It occurred to me that he would be a great babysitter. You know, if he was older. Nine wasn't exactly an age where people thought you were responsible enough to handle another child. 

"I'll go get the cleaning supplies, and you guys can get started." I walked over to the cleaning closet, leaving the kids to trudge into the kitchen, or go to the living room to wait while others completed their punishment. 

 

\---------

 

The mess in the kitchen had been cleaned up extremely quickly, though I was a bit concerned about the work distribution among the kids. Dick mostly sat down and polished the same piece of floor over and over, and Roy just walked around with a mop, not even caring where exactly he was cleaning. The others at least tried to help. Wally sped up the project considerably, becoming a sort of saviour to the others. 

I had been patting myself on the back so far. A successful sleepover, as far I could tell. However, due to the fact that the whole thing had been in such short notice, I hadn't had much time to plan any extra activities. The ones I had planned I'd done yesterday. 

Now, when kids don't have something to do, one of two things tends to happen. They either make up their own fun, which is great. They don't annoy me, and it fosters creativity or whatever. Sometimes it's interesting how they come up with such things. The other thing that happens is they declare themselves completely and utterly bored, and look to me, the babysitter, for something to do. 

"Lexxxxxiiiii, I'm boooorrrreeed" That was the first sign to me that I needed a solution. Roy had plopped himself down onto the couch next to me, and refused to move, repeating the same thing over and over again. Soon, I was joined by most of the other boys.

"Why don't you guys go play with the girls?" Was the first solution I came up with.

The boys took one look at the four girls, who were playing loudly around the corner. I wasn't sure what exactly they were doing, but no one was screaming or crying, so that was good enough for me. 

"Their game is booorrrrriinnnggg" 

"So why don't you think of a different game?" Go, go foster creativity or something. 

"We've played alllll the games." Was the chorused reply. 

"Well, what do you usually do when you're bored." I look at each of the boys in turn. They all look at me blankly. Kids. 

"Superman gets something out from the closet." Conner says, glancing over the closet, which had board games pulled out and strewn across the ground.

"I find someone to play with." Kaldur sat down on the couch, slightly disheartened that no one had an idea. 

"Flash plays with me, or takes me on a training mission." Wally looked me over, disappointed that it was most likely I could not partake in whatever he did with the Flash 

"Green Arrow tells me to play with Artemis, but she's busy." Roy stuck his lip out.

"Dick, what does Batman get you to do when you're bored?" Dick looks around, sticking a small finger on his chin.

"Don't tell Batman I'm bored." Was all he said, and the other boys nodded solemnly. I suppose that would make sense, Batman doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who'd have lots of ideas for fun. 

"Well, what do superheroes do normally, other than fighting crime." I try another angle, playing on the fact that kids generally look up to their elders. Surely, superheroes do interesting things other than fight crime. 

"Hang out with other superheroes." Wally looked around for a superhero to hang out with. There were none, obviously.

"Sit alone in his room." Conner supplied, looking proud of himself. Superman is weird.

"Sit alone in his office." Dick grinned. I have a feeling he only said that because he thought it was funny.

"Govern Atlantis." Kaldur looked solemn, and I assumed governing Atlantis was a complicated job. 

"Train." Training. That sounds like a decent idea. They've gotta have something to train in at this cave. I decided to ask them.

"Well, do you guys do training?" Dick grinned even wider, and the other boys visibly brightened up. Jackpot.

"Yeah! Only sometimes, but that always fun, and sometimes Black Canary comes over and trains me and Artemis, and she teaches us super special things and-" Roy beings going off on a tangent about how great Black Canary is, and how Artemis definitely thinks Black Canary and Green Arrow should get together. The other boys begin chiming in training ideas, and Wally grabs my hand and starts to drag me off.

"I know a training room! With training stuff, and it's this way!" He points down the corridor, and drags me along. Good work Lexi, this will stop them from being bored, and it's productive. 

 

\---------

 

"Okay, so how exactly do you train?" The five boys are standing in the middle of the so-called training room, which was filled with things you'd find in a gym.

There was a row of treadmills and bike machines lining a wall on the left. On the right was an empty space, with a different kind of flooring, presumably for hand to hand combat or something. At the back was boxing equipment, punching bags, and small section of weight machines. The boys were glancing around at all the equipment, looking both excited and expectant.

"Well, usually we get told what to do." Wally frowned, stepping towards the treadmills.

"Black Canary always makes us stretch to warm up." Roy supplied, and the other boys nodded happily, before starting to do whatever stretch they thought necessary. Wally began stretching his legs like he was preparing to run a marathon. Kaldur bent down to touch his toes, with Conner awkwardly copying him. Roy went through some motions similar to drawing back an arrow, and Dick walked up to me, pulling my pant leg. 

"What is it?" Dick remained stubbornly silent, instead grinning like he expected me to figure it out. He pointed over at the others, then at me.

"You want me to train with you?" Dick nodded, pleased. What a strange child. In any case, I walked over to where the boys were stretching. I figure I could do the stretches we do in hockey, which mostly consists of lunges and leg stretches. This room isn't quite big enough for me to run in. 

And so, the six of us went through all the stretches we could think of. Kaldur and Roy took turns leading, and I found myself extremely impressed. Dick and Roy were both extremely flexible, far more than I'd expect any five to seven year old to be. I was able to keep up thanks to hockey and a few years experience of dance, but it was very impressive. Conner wasn't as flexible, but made up for it in strength, which I had already figured. Kaldur was mostly an all-rounder, and Wally was just quite nimble and agile. 

After everyone decided they had stretched enough, we moved onto the cardio machines. Wally immediately got onto the treadmill, set it to the highest speed, and ran. He didn't stop or slow down for ten minutes, which was about the longest I could manage at switching between three quarters and half the top speed. It wasn't exactly surprising, but seeing superpowers at work was always cool. 

"Can we do some one on one now?" Wally said after getting off the treadmill, gesturing over to the empty space with a different flooring. 

"Yeah!" The boys began to pair up. Dick and Wally stuck together, as did Roy and Kaldur, leaving Conner and me. 

Dick and Wally practically bounced onto the floor, and went at it. They were both laughing and giggling loudly, and though they stopped just short of hurting each other, looked more like a couple of boys rough housing than any sort of disciplined training. Roy and Kaldur were more refined, going more slowly and pausing frequently. Conner stared awkwardly at me, holding his hands together. 

I had extremely little fighting experience. Unless one counted a self-defence course that I took and barely remembered way back in Grade 9. If I had a hockey stick in my hand, or was wearing the goalie gear, then I could be potentially dangerous to normal people, but just by myself, I didn't have much. I wasn't particularly strong, and my greatest strength was agility and reflexes. If Conner had been a normal seven year old, my biggest concern would have been hurting him. But as he was essentially the son of Superman, my biggest concern was him hurting me, which was something he seemed painfully aware of. 

"Hey, I'm not good at fighting, so maybe we can just go really slow." I carefully emphasise the world 'really', because even though Conner has always been quite aware of his powers, I know one can get lost in the moment. 

"That's ok. Um, instead of us fighting, I can show you stuff instead." Conner suggested, smiling happily. 

"Sounds like a great idea." Conner's smile brightens, and he quickly steps to the side of me, mirroring my current position. I breathe a sigh of relief. Not gonna get beaten down by a kid today.

We spent the next few minutes going over the basics of a fighting stance. Conner did his best to teach me what he had been taught, constantly backing it up with 'Superman said' or 'Black Canary taught me this'. He gave instructions in a vague manner, instead choosing to demonstrate himself. 

"Then Black Canary said to always have your knees bent a little. I'm not sure what that does, but I think it helps." Conner shifted his weight a little, looking down at his knees to make sure they were bent. 

Overall, the whole thing was pretty similar to a basic hockey stance. But Conner seemed so pleased with himself and eager to help, I went along. Besides, Black Canary and Superman are professionals. They gotta know what they're doing. 

"Ooooh, are you teaching Lexi how to fight? I wanna help!" Wally suddenly appeared at my side. I didn't even flinch, he'd done that so much. 

"Yeah, I haven't gotten to the actual fighting yet though." Conner relaxed his stance, beaming at what he considered recognition and appreciation of his teaching skills. 

"Can I help with that? I'm really good at fighting." Puffing his chest out,Wally raised one of his arms to show how big his muscles were. 

"Yeah, ok!" Conner stepped back a little, allowing Wally some room to play instructor. 

"Alright class." Wally put on a high-pitched voice, standing up straight and holding a hand up daintily. Dick unsuccessfully stifled a giggle.

"Today we will be going over the most important lesson you will ever learn in your life. Ever." Dick broke down into laughter, and Wally smiled brightly at getting a reaction. I felt a smile on my own face. 

"Okay. Step one. How to punch." Wally began 'teaching' us how to punch properly, maintaining a stupidly hilarious character of an uptight schoolteacher. Dick was laughing too hard to properly concentrate, and eventually Kaldur and Roy got in on it too. Conner and Kaldur didn't laugh much, with Conner seeming confused about why Wally was speaking in such a high-pitched voice, and Kaldur simply mildly amused. Roy thought it was the funniest things he'd ever seen, and began copying the act. 

What ended up happening was Roy and Wally were both trying to one-up each other, Dick was alternating between laughing hysterically and trying to catch his breath, Kaldur was watching with a slight smile on his face, and Conner was just confused. I was giggling, when I suddenly realised the girls had wandered in on us. The boys realised it when Raquel spoke, looking over us with a suspicious eye.

"What are you guys doing?" Raquel had both hands on her hips, and was looking at us expectantly. Zatanna and M'gann were both looking extremely confused, and Artemis annoyed.

"Are you guys training? How come you didn't tell me?" Artemis stuck out her bottom lip, worried that the session was over. Thankfully, Wally wasn't ready to stop with his glorious acting performance just yet.

"Apologies. We were just teaching Lexi how to punch. If you wish, you ladies may join us." He grinned widely, and the four girls stared at him blankly, wondering why he was speaking in such a high-pitched voice, 

"If you would kindly join the line, and we can resume the session." Roy continued, and Artemis glared at him like he'd grown a second head. The two boys merely grinned. However, Artemis and Raquel quickly joined the line, inserting themselves among the boys, while M'gann and Zatanna happily placed themselves at the end. After all, things are much more fun when you can do it with other people. 

 

\---------

 

It was just past lunch when Martian Manhunter showed up. I thought that meant I could leave and go home, but nope. Someone needed to stay with the SuperKids, but I also couldn't just leave for security reasons. Like, if a super villain saw me leave wherever the Cave was, they might target me and my family for hostage purposes. Lovely. 

Since I didn't want to end up kidnapped by some villain, I got to stay in the Cabe with Martian Manhunter until someone else could come take me home. I didn't mind, after all, it couldn't be too much longer. Besides, I'd get to ask questions about the superhero life. Green Arrow told me all about protecting Star City, but one could always use another perspective. 

"So, what city do you protect?" The kids had all distracted themselves, which left Martian Manhunter and me watching. Perfect opportunity for small talk.

"I deal with inter-planetary communications, as well as helping wherever I am needed." Inter-planetary... 

"So, that's like, outer space?" The superhero nodded. That is so cool. 

"And, you're from Mars. Like M'gann." Thank god Manhunter was so calm and composed. That was a dumb question. Of course he's from Mars. It's in the name, and he's green! But he nods anyway, still watching the kids.

"So, M'gann has all the same powers you do?" M'gann's file had listed quite a few powers. Telekinesis, density shifting, telepathy, flight. She used her flight and telekinesis very often, though I'd only seen her density shift (which had to be explained to me as basically intangibility) once and as far as I knew, she'd never used her telepathy on me.

"Yes. Though I have been teaching her Earth customs. I trust she has not invaded your mental boundaries?" That would explain it.

"You mean like, has she read my mind? No, I don't think so. How can I tell?" 

"At her age, it is easy to tell. When using telepathy, subtlety is not on a child's mind." No kidding. M'gann was about as subtle as an elephant. She was easily one of the most emotional members of the kids, wore her heart on her sleeve. 

"So, do Martians use their telepathy all the time?" I try and imagine what it would be like if everyone had telepathy. No secret. Major personal space issues. Though I guess the Martians manage. I'd probably die.

"Yes. It is the standard mode of communication." Hm. This guy could rival Red Tornado in terms of emotional capacity. Or maybe, since Martians are so used to having their thoughts and feelings known, they bury the really important ones. That is an interesting theory. The psychologist in me is practically dying to find out. 

"That's so cool. Hey, um, can I ask, why did you guys ever need a babysitter in the first place?" My follow up question would be, why me. 

"We believed the children could benefit with interaction with their peers. Other children in similar situations to them." 

"So, superpowered kids hanging out with other superpowered kids." I rested a hand on my chin, thinking it over. It made sense. Give them someone they can relate to. 

"Yes. Foster a sense of familiarity and friendship." I take a breath, not really sure if I want to ask why they chose me to babysit these kids.

"Okay, that's all good. But, why did you pick me to babysit them? From a newspaper ad?" 

"We believed that giving them a role model who is a normal civilian will also help them to feel at home. That, and we could not find anyone else who could do it every week." Well, it would be natural that a random girl isn't their first choice for babysitting the League's kids. I figured as much anyway.

"So, I'm like, a safe exposure to a civilian life?" So I'm basically a control point. Give the kids a taste of the outside life, so they actually know what it is. Only it seems more like they've given me a taste of the superhero life. 

"Essentially. Many of them are homeschooled, M'gann included. When she is older I plan on sending her to an ordinary school." Wow. Up until now, I'd just thought their schedules were super busy, or they wanted some time where they didn't have to worry about the kids, and they can do whatever they want. You know, like what usually happens with babysitting. 

"So, that's why you wanted a babysitter, but why did you end up choosing me?" I looked away from Martian Manhunter. After all, there wasn't exactly anything special about me. No superpowers, no extra special training or whatever, unless you count being able to play hockey properly. These were SuperKids. Daughter of Zatara, son of Superman, of the Batman for petes sake. Though I wasn't sure if Dick and Batman were related. They didn't seem very similar, at all. 

"You had previous experience, and you were the first to call." Well, there's an answer. I've done babysitting, and I picked up the phone and punched in a number before someone else did. 

"But you have done a marvellous job. M'gann often tells me of the fun she has with you and the others." I brighten. 

"Really?" I'll admit, I love praise. I always have. Want to motivate me? Tell me I'm doing a good job and that I just need to keep going. People's opinions mean a lot to me.

"Yes. The children are quite obviously not your normal babysitting fare." Martian Manhunter smiled slightly, and I looked back towards the kids. He thought I was doing well. It may not be saving a city, but it's something. 

The kids are still playing together. It looks like they were doing some make-believe thing. Wally was stomping around making monster noises, and the others were all reacting. It was adorable. I began to giggle when I saw Dick pretend to get defeated by monster-Wally, dramatically falling to the ground and sticking his tongue out. His leg twitched, and Zatanna quickly rushed over, smiling widely. Zatanna was not a good actress, but then again, I guess she didn't need to be. 

Just then, Green Arrow came in. Roy ran over to him, and I recognised my ride home. Picking up my overnight bag, as well as Roy and Artemis' I walked over to him.

"Hey Lexi. How was the sleepover?" Green Arrow ruffled up Roy's hair, looking through the kids to find Artemis. She wasn't hard to spot, being the only blonde in the group besides Kaldur, form whom it was easy to differentiate her from. 

"It was great. You guys should go into space more often." Smiling brightly, I fetched Artemis and went to the little garage where Green Arrow parked his car. 

"Just tell the bad guys to do bad things in outer space more often." Green Arrow replied, and I could feel a smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much to everyone who read and liked this story! This chapter is a bit longer, I think, and it also took a bit longer. It went through a few different rewrites, and is a little more focused on the relationships between Lexi, some of the kids, and the League, especially towards the end. 
> 
> I do have a plan for this story, and I hope you guys enjoy. 
> 
> If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to tell me, and I will do my best to respond to all of them! Thanks so much for reading, enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I love De-Aging stories, especially with the Team. I'll probably add more of them if I do another chapter, but we'll see how this goes first. Any advice and comments are welcomed!


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